File card follower mechanism

ABSTRACT

THE BOTTOM OF A CARD FILE DRAWER CARRIES A U-SHAPED TRACK WHICH RECEIVES THE BASE OF THE CARD FOLLOWER ALLOWING THE CARD FOLLOWER TO SLIDE THEREIN. THE TRACK INCLUDES A SERIES OF UPSTRUCK, INCLINED DETENTS. A DEPENDING TAB FROM THE FOLLOWER BASE CONTACTS THE UPSTRUCK DETENTS SO AS TO READILY SLIDE OVER THE INCLINED SURFACES IN ONE DIRECTION BUT IS FULLY RESTRAINED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

Jan. 19, 1971 1. D. BLAKLEY 3,556,621

FILE CARD FOLLOWER MECHANISM "Filed June 19, 1969 v INVENTOR ISAAC D.BLAKLEY BY OM94 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,556,621 FILE CARDFOLLOWER MECHANISM Isaac D. Blakley, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignor toStewart-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill. Filed June 19, 1969, Ser. No.834,665 Int. Cl. A47b 63/00 US. Cl. 312-183 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Thisinvention relates to card file drawers and more particularly to asimplified unitary card follower which may be readily moved lengthwiseof the card file drawer but is gravity locked in a selected position.

Description of the prior art Card files of the drawer type, normallyemploy a file card holding rod which passes through the face plate ofthe card file drawer, and supports a card follower. Spring means or thelike latch the card follower at preselected longitudinal positions byexerting a clamping pressure on the card holding rod. Where the cardfile drawer does not employ a holding rod or similar element, it isconventional to employ one or more spring locking member for locking thecard follower in a selected longitudinal position. Such spring lockingmembers act directly on the drawer bottom or sides.

In order to define the longitudinal path or movement of the cardfollower within the card file drawer, various guide means have beenemployed. In some cases, a configured, longitudinal track is carried onor recessed within the sidewalls or a single track is carried on orembedded within the drawer bottom. The card follower locking means areassociated with the guide track and separate spring members may becarried by the card follower. Even where the spring member is integralwith the card follower itself, the designs have been relatively complexand the locking means unreliable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a cardfile drawer or like container of rectangular configuration whichincludes a longitudinally extending guide track carried by the drawerbottom with a card follower including a base portion slidably positionedwith the track. The improvement resides in a plurality of unidirectionaldetent means at spaced longitudinal positions on the track and detentengaging means carried by the card follower base portion allowing thefollower to be readily slid along the track in one direction butpositively restrained in the opposite direction.

Preferably, the rack is formed from sheet metal bent into U-shaped crosssection and carried by a recess within the bottom of the drawer. Thedetent means comprises a series of longitudinally spaced, upwardlyinclined, struck out portions, and the detent comprises a singledepending struck out tab axially overlying the track detent means. Theside walls of the U-shaped track terminate in lateral edges which extendtowards each other. The follower base Patented Jan. 19, 1971 is widerthan the gap between the track lateral edges, allowing the follower tobe released from the detent means by merely tilting the base in oppositeinclination to the upstruck detent means. The upstruck portions of thetrack are half-moon in plan configuration and the center of the followerbase portion is arched to conform to the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of awooden card file drawer incorporating the simplified followerarrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in section, of the card file drawershown in FIG. 1 with the follower in solid lines in latched position andin unlatched position by phantom lines.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view, in section, of the card file drawerof FIG. 2 taken about line 33.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawing, acard file drawer 10 is shown as being of wooden rectangular frameconstruction including a face plate 12 at the front end, opposed sidewalls 14 and a rear wall or end plate 16, coupled together inconventional fashion by screws 18 or the like. The bottom 20 of the filecard drawer may be open or as shown, formed of wood as are elements 12,14 and 16. In conventional fashion, face plate 12 carries on its innersurface, an inclined backup plate 22 also formed of wood and coupled tothe face plate 12 by a suitable screws 24 or the like. The surface 26 ofthe backup plate is inclined such that the cards (not shown) carried bythe card file drawer 10 lie inclined slightly from the vertical whenthey are stored within the drawer. The function of the file card draweris to store identically sized file cards (not shown) whose number may bereadily varied, with the cards vertically oriented for limitedseparation to facilitate searching. In this respect, as indicatedpreviously, it is conventional to employ a longitudinally adjustablecard follower 38 which acts in conjunction with the inclined surface 26of the backup plate to define the drawer file card receiving area whoselongitudinal dimension may be readily varied to allow access to thecards for searching purposes, or removal, placement and replacement ofthe same.

In this respect, the file card drawer 10 has its bottom wall 20,recessed at 28, the full extent thereof, the longitudinal recess 28positioned centrally of the drawer and opening up onto the drawer bottomsurface 30. The rectangular recess '28 carries a guide track 32 formedof sheet metal stock and bent into U-shape in cross section. Side wallportions 34 terminate in lips or lateral edges 36 which extend towardseach other and define a gap therebetween which is somewhat less than thelateral dimension of recess 28. The opposed lateral edges 36 of thesheet metal track 32 lie flush with the bottom surface 30 of the filecard drawer.

The card follower indicated generally at 38 is unitary in construction,formed of sheet metal stock and includes a card support portion 40 whichis inclined rewardly, slightly from the vertical and further includes,at its upper end, right angle lift tab portion 42 and at its lower end,a card follower base portion 44 which extends horizontally and generallyat right angles to the card support portion 40. The base portion 44 hasa width which is in excess of the gap between edges 36 of the track suchthat the base portion 44 is captured within the track. The neck 46 whichjoins the base portion 42 to the card support portion 40 isappropriately narrow and is of a lateral dimension less than the gapbetween the laterally opposed edges 36 of 3 the track. The width of thecard follower card support portion 40 is slightly less than the distancebetween side walls 14 of the card file drawer and the height of the sameis somewhat less than that of drawer face plate 12.

The present invention is directed to a simplified detent latching orlocking mechanism for locking the card follower at selected longitudinalpositions between the end wall 16 and the backup plate 22, while at thesame time allowing the card follower 38 to be readily moved in eitherdirection by instantly releasing the detent latching mechanism. In thisrespect, the bottom portion 47 of the sheet metal track carries alongitudinal series of struck out portions or detent means 48 which arehalf-moon in plan configuration (FIG. 1) defining narrow slits 50,relatively sharp right angle edges 52, and upwardly inclined surfaceportions 54 whose angle of inclination is towards the backup plate 22.Cooperating with these detent means is the detent engaging means of thecard follower comprising a depending, struck out tab 56, integrallyformed with base portions 44 of the card follower. Tab 56 extendsdownwardly a short distance from the bottom surface of follower baseportion 44 and generally at right angles thereto.

In operation, the card follower 38 rests by gravity with the baseportion 44 being captured within the longitudinally extending track 32and with the bottom surface 58 resting on the edges 52 of the upstruckdetent means 48 of the track. Further, the depending tab 56 or detentengaging means is in abutment with the edge 52 of one of the upstruck,half-moon detent means 48. Assuming that the card follower 38 is in theposition shown in FIG. 2, any attempt at moving the card follower fromright to left, such as the force exerted by the pack of cards (notshown) position between the card follower 38 and the backup plate 22, isresisted by engagement of the detent engaging means or tab 56 with thedetent means 48, precisely, on upstruck edge 52 of the same.Dis-engagement of the detent latching or locking means is accomplishedmerely by lifting and tipping the card follower towards the face plate12 as indicated by the phantom line position of the card follower. Thisraises the front end or the neck 46 of the card follower 38, normallyaccomplished by lifting up on lift tab portion 42. The end 45 of baseportion 44 remote from the detent engaging means or tab 56 merely rideson the sheet metal track 32 as the card follower 38 moves longitudinallyas indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 with the card follower in inclinedor lift position. It is important to note, however, that in returningthe card follower 38 towards the face plate 12 of the file card drawer,there is no necessity to maintain upward pressure on the card follower.The inclined portions 54 of the detent means allow the detent engagingtab 56 to easily ride over the same during movement of the card followerfrom left to right. The card follower thus may be returned toward thefront end or face plate 12 of the file card drawer by sliding the samesuch that the tab 56 rides over each succeeding inclined portion 54 ofthe detent means of the track.

The present invention has been described with reference to a singleembodiment in which the sheet metal track is carried within a centralrecess formed within a bottom wall 20 of the file card drawer. Multiplesheet metal tracks and multiple card follower base portions may beemployed at laterally spaced positions on or within the file card drawerbottom wall. Further, while the 4 face plate, backup plate, rear plate,side wall, and bottom wall have been shown and described as bein formedof wood and while the card follower and the track as being formed ofmetal, such construction is exemplary only and all parts may be formedof metal, wood, plastic, or a combination of the same as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a file card drawer or the like having a longitudinally extendingtrack carried by the drawer bottom and a card follower including a baseportion slidably positioned therein, the improvement comprising:

detent engaging means carried by said card follower base portion andunidirectional detent means carried by said track whereby said followermay be readily slid along said track in a first direction but ispositively restrained from movement in the opposite direction due togravity engagement between said detent means and said detent engagementmeans.

2. The file card drawer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said detent meanscomprises a series of longitudinally spaced, upwardly inclined surfaceportions carried by said track, and said detent engagement meanscomprising a tab depending from said follower horizontal base portion indetent engaging position.

3. The card file drawer as claimed in claim 2 wherein said track isformed of sheet metal stock, is U-shaped in cross sectionalconfiguration and includes side walls terminating in lateral edges whichextend toward each other, said follower base portion is positionedwithin said track, and has a lateral width in excess of the gap betweenthe lateral edges of said track.

4. The file card drawer as claimed in claim 3 wherein said follower isformed of sheet metal stock, bent into Z-shaped configuration includinga horizontal lift tab portion at the upper end, a generally verticalcard support portion and a horizontal base portion connected by a neckwhose width is less than the gap existing between the opposed lateraledges of said track.

5. The card file drawer as claimed in claim 2 wherein said detent meanscomprises a series of longitudinally spaced struck out portions of saidtrack including inclined surface portions which are directed toward thefront end of said card file drawer.

6. The card file drawer as claimed in claim 5 wherein said struck outportions are half-moon shaped in plan configuration, said base portionincludes an upwardly curved central portion whose curvature correspondsto the curvature of the upstruck detent means.

7. The card file drawer as claimed in claim 4 wherein said detent meanscomprises a series of longitudinally spaced struck out portions of saidtrack including inclined surface portions which are directed toward thefront end of said card file drawer.

8. The card file drawer as claimed in claim 7 wherein said struck outportions are half-moon shaped in plan configuration, said base portionincludes an upwardly curved central portion whose curvature correspondsto the curvature of the upstruck detent means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PATRICK D. LAWSON, PrimaryExaminer

